August Wilson's "Fences" Directed/Starring Denzel Washington and Viola Davis

August Wilson is one of America's greatest playwrights (b 1945-2005.)  He's received the Pulitizer Prize for "Frences" in 1990 and in !987 for "The Piano Lesson."  Wilson's plays depict the black experience & lifestyle in the mid 20th C; following WWII and through the Civil Rights Era.  "Fences" is a powerhouse of emotion, struggles and triumphs black America in a world that was changing radically but at a stilted pace regarding racial equality.  The opening scene of "Fences" has Troy (Denzel Washington) asking his friend/co-worker as garbagemen, Jim (Stephen Henderson) "Don't I count?"  The underlying & unifyng theme in Wilson's brilliant plays is making one's life amount to something of substance.  Troy is husband to Rose (Viola Davis) in an incredible performance) and father to their son Corey and two other children by 2 different women.  Troy represents a generation of black men who felt life dealt them a rough hand. Troy is homeless at 14, abandoned by his mother & literally beaten & banished by his father.  He was incarcerated for 15 years after killing a man in a drunken brawl.  Troy felt he was shortchanged from playing pro-baseball because of being black and that he's been overlooked for promotions on the basis of his race.  Marrying Rose was the best thing he  ever did until he destroyed their marriage with his philandering & cruelty to their son.  This is a tense & stirring drama dealing with father/son, husband/wife relationships & racial strife & conventional images of the time.  The plights & oppressions of blacks are marked in heated dialogue and deprecating humor.  Having seen the play with the same 3 incredible leads I found the film more moving than the play.  The camera captures the quiet & powerful moments with raw emotion.  The film  illicits overwhelming empathy with superb acting and the genius of Wilson's writing.  Gabriel, Troy's brother came back from the war with brain damage and is an upsettingly sympathetic character.  Troy is tormented by his love for his brother knowing he's the beneficiary of his suffering.  Troy rants about responsibility & duty to his family which don't include love only harsh lessons in reality.  Wilson's genius is glaring and strident.  Troy's baseball metaphors strike with poetic poignancy "{I was} born with 2 strikes before I got the the plate.  Everything is lined up against you.  Life aint' nothing but a curve ball thrown at the corner of the plate."  Rose's reproach to Troy brought me to tears "You should have held on to me tight.  All my wants & needs - I buried myself in you.  Hold on tighter."  "Fences" is one of the finest movies that speaks to human dignity and compassion.  "Fences" the film deserves a Pulitizer Prize and every type of award that is served up.